Fullmetal Junior
by ArmorOfDay
Summary: Everyone knows the kind of life Ed Elric leads. But what kind of life would his son have? Ed Jr & his friends have their own adventures, as full of actions as his dad's.
1. Chapter 1

"Isn't he adorable Ed?" Winry asked, glancing up at her husband.

"Yeah, he sure is," Ed answered softly.

Edward Elric gazed fondly at the little bundle Winry held in her arms. He smiled as a pair of small golden eyes stared right back at him under a mop of blond hair. He and his wife were in a room at Central Hospital, following the birth of their son.

"What should we name him?" Ed wondered. "I can't think of anything."

"Well, he looks just like you, so how about Edward Jr.?"

"Edward Elric Jr. Well why not? I'm gonna go get Al. Be right back."

Ed walked down the hall towards the hospital waiting room, arms crossed behind his head. As he walked, he thought about his own parents. His father had abandoned him and his brother Alphonse when they were very young. Their mother had wasted away waiting for him, and had died when Edward was 9.

"It's not gonna be that way with my son," Ed thought fiercely. "I'll always be there for him. No matter what."

Ed reached the lobby and glanced around, quickly spotting the large suit of armor that was Alphonse Elric. After their mother died, the 2 had studied alchemy in order to try to bring her back to life. But the attempt at human alchemy had gone horribly wrong, and the brothers had paid a high price. Edward lost his left leg, and Al lost his entire body. Ed had to give up his right arm in order to save his younger brother, attaching Al's soul to a suit of armor.

"Hey Al," Ed said as his brother looked up.

"Hey. How's Winry?"

"She's fine. The baby's fine too. A little boy."

"Really? That's great!" Al exclaimed happily. "How big is he? What's he look like? Can I see him? Have you picked a name yet? What is it? Is he-"

"Whoa, slow down Al! Take it easy," Edward said laughing. "One question at a time! His name is Ed Jr., and he's about 8 pounds. As for what he looks like, come see for yourself."

"Look-it him! He's so tiny! Hi little fellow! I'm your uncle Al. We've all been waiting to meet you. He's so cute! He looks just like you brother! Look-it his little hand!"

Ed laughed happily, watching the 7-foot suit of armor gushing over the newborn baby. He and Winry locked eyes and grinned, both feeling an enormous sense of pride at the miracle they had created.

Ed's attention was diverted as the baby yawned. He looked down at his son as a pair of golden eyes slowly closed, little Edward Jr. yawning again as he fell asleep.  
"Good night sweetie," Winry whispered. "We love you so much."

5 Years Later

"Dada? Dada, what's this word?"

The 28-year-old Edward Elric looked down at the 5-year-old toddler holding up an alchemy book 3 inches thick. Little Ed Jr. hated it when he came across something he couldn't figure out on his own. The boy was a genius, but was still only 5 years old, with the fiery temper all toddlers have.

Ed smiled, bending over to look at the page his son was pointing to. But his smile faded and his eyes darkened as he read, the words sparking bad memories. "It says humunculus son," he said softly.

"What's a humumclese?" the toddler asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar word.

"It's..." Ed hesitated, unsure if he should tell the child the truth. But he knew Ed Jr. wouldn't stop asking until he received an answer.

"It's an artificial person son," he stated finally. "A human that's not a human, like a living doll."

"Oh, OK thanks." The 5-year-old grinned, happy that he had learned something new. But his grin disappeared when he noticed how dark his father's eyes had become. "Dada? Is something wrong? You look sad."

"W-what" Edward said, startled. "No. No, I'm fine. Really."


	2. Chapter 2

"Edward. Put on your coat kiddo, we're going out," Edward Elric Sr. called up the stairs. He smiled as his 5-year-old son poked his head out of his room to look sleepily at his father.  
"It's 6 in the morning Dada. Where are we going so early?"  
"I'm taking you over to the general's house. I've got a meeting and your mom's replacing some guy's leg."  
"So we're going to Uncle Roy's? Ok, but do we have to go now? I'm sleepy."  
"Yes, we have to go now. The meeting's in half an hour, so hurry up and get dressed."  
After the usual struggle to get a toddler dressed and fed, even a genius toddler, father and son left home, heading toward General Roy Mustang's house. Despite Mustang being Edward's superior, the 2 were fast friends, their relationship based on insults and mutual respect. They exchanged barbs so freely, that a casual observer would think they hated each other, which couldn't be further from the truth.  
Quickly arriving at Mustang's house, Ed knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Riza Hawkeye Mustang, Roy's wife. The blond woman smiled when she saw who was standing on the stoop.  
"Hello Edward. Come on in," Riza said, standing aside to let them enter. "Roy is upstairs, trying to get Ray up. He stayed awake all night reading."  
"Sounds familiar," Ed Sr. said, chuckling. "I have the same problem with this guy. Never stops reading."  
"Hey! What's wrong with that?" Ed Jr. said indigently. "I like to read!"  
The toddler's tirade was cut short by 2 pairs of footsteps coming down the stairs. Everyone looked up to see Roy Mustang and his 6-year-old son Ray enter the room. Ray Mustang had his father's good looks, with dark eyes and Mustang's trademark smirk. But where Roy's hair was jet-black, Ray's currently mussed hair was a mix of black and blond streaks.  
"Well, if it isn't my 2 of my 3 favorite blonds," Mustang said. "You're here earlier than I expected Fullmetal. You need to tell me how you get your kid up and dressed so easily. Ray might as well be glued to his bed in the morning."  
After some small talk, Mustang and Edward left for work, and Riza guided the kids into the kitchen for some breakfast. As she was scrambling eggs, the kids occupied themselves playing with the Mustangs' dog Black Hayate. The black and white mutt loved to give them rides on his back, despite being 14-years-old, which is pretty old for a dog.

Ed sighed in frustration. He had just been informed that his train to Risenbol would be delayed for 2 hours. Another annoyance in a very annoying day. He had just finished an assignment that was nothing but a boring pain in the butt, it had been raining since yesterday, and now his train was late. It had been the longest day in his life, and he just wanted to get home to his wife and son.

He glanced out the station window. The rain had finally stopped. Edward decided to take a walk around to un-cramp his legs and kill some time. The town he was in was fairly small, but picturesque. The streets were a little muddy, alright a lot muddy, but Ed didn't care.

"Stop! Stop you little thief! Get back here!"

Ed looked up in surprise. A young boy was running away from a fruit vendor's stall, clutching a bunch of apples. The merchant was yelling angrily, just starting to give chase. As the boy ran by, Edward reached out and grabbed his arm.

"No! No, let me go!" the boy cried. "Please let me go!"

"Not a chance," Ed said, leading the boy back to the stall. "You're going to return those apples you stole."

As the boy reluctantly gave back the apples and apologized to the vendor, Ed noticed how thin the boy was. His stomach was shrunken, showing that he was starving, and his clothes were tattered and dirty. It was obvious the boy lived on the streets. His dark brown skin and reddish eyes showed an Isbalian descent. He looked about 7 years old.

Edward bought 2 apples from the merchant, then walked away, leading the boy to the train station. They sat down on a bench, and Ed gave the boy one of the apples, which was quickly devoured.

"You shouldn't steal," Ed said. "It's wrong."

"I know," the boy said, looking down guiltily. "But I was really hungry and I don't have any money. I didn't know what else to do."

"Where are your parents? Don't they feed you?"

"Don't got parents. They're dead," the boy said casually. "I never even knew them."

"I'm sorry to hear that. My name's Edward. What's yours?"

"I'm Justin. Thank you for buying me an apple Mr. Edward."

"You're welcome Justin," Ed said, handing him the second apple.

Just then, the train pulled into the station. Ed stood up and stretched, thinking. He didn't want to leave the boy on the streets, but he wasn't sure how his wife Winry would react if he brought him home. He glanced at Justin, who was busy eating the second apple. He nodded to himself as he came to a decision.

"Well Justin, since you don't have anyone to take care of you," he began. "Why don't you stay with me and my family for awhile? My house is much more comfortable than some alley."

Justin looked up, surprise evident in his eyes. "Really mister? I can stay with you?"

"Sure you can," Ed assured him, grinning. "I have a son a little younger than you. I know he'd love the company. There aren't many kids close to his age where we live."

Justin grinned broadly and Ed smiled back. He picked up his bag and ushered Justin onto the train and to a seat. The train soon pulled away from the station, heading to Risenbol.

Justin was ecstatic, watching the scenery fly by. He had never been on a train before. He glanced at Edward out of the corner of his eye. He never had a home before either. Justin idly wondered what it would be like to have a family. He remembered watching other children with their parents. They had always looked so happy, tugging on their parents hands to get them to buy something.

The ride to Risenbol was a long one, and soon Justin fell asleep. Ed grinned as he covered the boy curled up on the seat with his jacket. He hoped Winry wouldn't get to mad at him. Justin needed a home and a family, and Edward wanted to be sure he got one. He remembered how hard it had been to grow up as an orphan. At least he had his brother and Winry, and even Roy Mustang had been like a father to him. Justin didn't have anyone.


End file.
